1 Page's School Report

Chapter One

“OK,class, here is your next task.”Page grabbed a pen.“As you know, we have been studying the different Native American tribes that lived here before the European settlers arrived,” Mr. Lee said.“Today, each of you will pick one tribe.In one week you will give a report on it to the class. I have a list of tribes for you to pick from,” Mr. Lee continued.“Let's line up in alphabetical order, then pick the tribe you want to study.”

Page let out a small groan.Her friend Jack let out a giggle.His last name was Alba—first on the class roll. Page's name was Wales. She was the very last.

By the time Page got to Mr. Lee's desk there was only one tribe left, the Makah.

“The Makah?” Page said to herself. “I've never even heard of them.” Out loud she said, “Thank you, Mr. Lee.”

“Page, the Makah is a very interesting tribe from the Pacific Northwest. I'm sure you'll enjoy learning about them.”

Page had her doubts.

Chapter 2

That night, Page was on the phone with Jack. “Jack, you are so lucky!”

“I know. First pick of all the tribes,” he answered. “So I picked the Mohawk. Finding information on one of the largest tribes in the Northeast will be easy.”

Page replied, “And I've got some small tribe way up in the Northwest. How am I supposed to find anything on them?”

“Well, that's what you get for having a last name that starts with‘W',” Jack teased.

“Yeah, and you, Mr. Alba, always first on every class roll. It's not fair!” Page said.

“Hey, I can't help that,” Jack answered. “But I do know I'll easily get the best grade in the class on my report,”he bragged.

“Oh yeah?” Page challenged. “I bet I'll do better than you even though my tribe is less known.” She wasn't sure if she could do this or not. She hated to let Jack brag without putting up a fight.

“You think so?” Jack answered.“Then let's make a bet.”

“You're on,” Page countered.“Let's bet a banana split at Homer's Ice Cream Shop. The loser has to buy. That will be you, Mr. Alba!”

Chapter 3

Page knew that she would have a hard time finding information on the Makah; so she began researching the very next day. She asked her mother to take her to the huge downtown public library after school.

For a moment Page was in shock. The main floor of the library looked as big as a city block. People were scattered at tables and desks, and there were stacks and stacks of books stretching off into the shadows;a huge staircase led up to other floors.

Then Page remembered Mr. Lee's advice about researching in a library:“Always look for the reference desk. The librarian can answer most of your questions.”

Sure enough, the librarian was able to help her. Page soon had five books on the Makah. With her arms full, she headed to a desk in a quiet corner and settled down.

Chapter 4

Page learned that the Makah were small in number, but were very powerful and wealthy. They lived on a peninsula on the Northwest coast of North America, near what is now Seattle, Washington. Their land was covered with thick forest and surrounded on three sides by the ocean. Trees, fish, and animals were plentiful, and they supplied all of the Makahs' needs. Groups of families lived together in large houses made of cedar wood. These houses were very long, with many rooms. They were called “longhouses”.

The Makah had permanent villages along the Pacific Ocean coast. In the summers, they would move to temporary camps along the streams and rivers. When they weren't fishing for salmon swimming upstream from the ocean, they would gather berries in the forest.

The Makah were known as skilled whale hunters. They carved giant canoes from the trunks of huge cedar trees—canoes large enough to handle the heavy waves of the ocean. Groups of Makah warriors learned to read the winds and waves of the Pacific Ocean. They used only paddles and small sails when they headed far out of sight of land in search for whales. Hunting whales on the open ocean was very difficult and dangerous. The effort was worth it. One whale could provide enough food, oil, and materials for making tools to supply a village for an entire year. The ability to hunt whales was seen by the Makah as a great test of courage. It was a source of pride for the whole tribe.

Looking up at the clock on the wall, Page finally closed her last book. She gathered her books and headed toward the library entrance to meet her mother. “Wow!” she said to herself. “I can't wait to tell Jack what I found about the Makah. What a tribe! I bet the famous Mohawk couldn't hunt whales from a canoe.” Smiling to herself, she added, “Jack doesn't have a chance in our bet.”

Chapter 5

As soon as Page got home, she called Jack to tell him all she'd learned. “So,” Page began on the phone, “I found out so much about the Makah. They lived in these long, wooden houses...”

“Called‘longhouses'?” Jack interrupted.

“Yes,” Page responded. “How did you know?”

“Because the Mohawk lived in the same type of houses.”

“Well, the Makah carved their family's history into long wooden poles and placed them outside their houses. I bet the Mohawk didn't do that!”

“No, but the Mohawk lived along the streams and rivers in the summer,” Jack said,“to fish for salmon swimming upstream from the ocean.”

“Oh,” Page answered, surprised, and a little disappointed that the Makah had so much in common with the Mohawk.

“Well, I bet the Mohawk didn't hunt whales, so what else was unusual about them?” Page asked.

Jack answered,“The Mohawk were one of five separate tribes that joined together, sort of like the 50 states joining to form one country. They became one of the biggest nations, called the League of Peace and Power, in North America. They had a very complex system of government. In fact, when the American colonists began forming the United States government, they borrowed some of the League's ideas for the U.S. Constitution.”

“So, part of our government is based on the Mohawk government. Wow!” Page answered. “I never knew that. But you know,aside from the Makah hunting whales, and the size and complexity of the Mohawk tribe, they were really very similar to each other.”

“I know,” Jack answered. “Hey, I have an idea. Maybe we could present our reports together!”

“Yeah,” Page answered excitedly. “Even though they lived on opposite coasts, and one tribe was small while the other was part of a large nation, we could show how similar they were.”

“And then we could finish up with the one big difference for each tribe—the Makah as whale hunters, and the Mohawk with their complex government.”

Page thought for a moment. “Hey, what about our bet? If we go together, how do we know who won? Who buys the banana splits?”

The phone was silent for a moment, then Jack answered, “Don't worry. If we do well, I have a feeling it will work out.”

Chapter Six

Three days later the research projects were presented at school. All day long, students shared what they had learned about the Native American tribes of North America:The daring horsemanship of the Dakota as they hunted buffalo on the Great Plains;Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce outsmarting the U.S.Army as the Nez Perce tried to escape to Canada;and the giant, stone houses built into the walls of desert canyons by the Ancient Puebloans.

Finally, it was Jack and Page's turn. Mr. Lee had agreed to let them present together. Page looked over at Jack, smiled, and then pulled down the giant map of the United States. Jack stood off to the left side of the map, and Page walked over to the right side of the map. Page began: “Even though these two tribes, the Mohawk and the Makah, lived on opposite coasts, they shared an amazing number of similarities . . .”

As Page and Jack finished their report, they encouraged their classmates to research how members of the Mohawk and Makah nations live today. Mr. Lee walked up with a smile on his face.

“Very well done, you two.” He turned to the class. “Thank you, all of you. Your reports were excellent! I think we can now all see how amazing these Native American nations are.”

Then, with a wink and a sneaky grin on his face, Mr. Lee leaned closer to Page and Jack and whispered,“And, by the way, the banana splits at Homer's, they are on me.”